The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus.
Some image forming apparatuses are configured to form an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum, develop the electrostatic latent image using toner, and transfer the developed toner image onto a predetermined sheet material. In general, the efficiency of the maintenance work, the assembly operation and the like of such image forming apparatuses are improved by forming the photosensitive drum and the surrounding devices as one or more units and configuring the unit(s) so as to be extractable from the apparatus body.
As an example of conventional image forming apparatuses including a photosensitive drum unit that includes a photosensitive drum and is detachable from an apparatus body, a main charger body that charges the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum, and a transfer charger body that transfers a toner image formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum onto a sheet, an image forming apparatus is known in which both the main charger body and the transfer charger body are configured to be movable between a setting position at which they are in close proximity to the photosensitive drum and a retracted position at which they are separated from the photosensitive drum.
As shown in the above-described conventional technique, the drum unit and the developing unit need to be separated from each other when these units are attached or detached. In recent years, medium-sized and large-sized image forming apparatuses are in widespread use in offices in general, and a general user who is not familiar with the apparatus configuration may perform the unit replacement operation. In such a case, the general user may be unaware of the presence of a unit separation mechanism and try to attach or detach the units in a state in which the photosensitive drum and the developing roller are pressed against each other, thereby causing scratches on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum.